2/13 Season Three, Episode 14: Playing for Keeps-Scarecrow and Mrs King

So.. Amanda’s asleep & sick on the sofa, the boys are fixing her some breakfast (and future diabetes).
The phone rings.. and Dotty answers..Dotty: Hello.Lee: Mrs West?Dotty: Oh, hello Mr Simpson.[Mr what?? What’s this?? What’s going on??
How does Dotty know from Lee’s voice that he is ‘Mr Simpson’??!! So familiar with this man Amanda works with!!!
Who was he in Vigilante Mothers? Mr Sampson wasn’t it.. When was he Mr Stemson? Has he ever been Mr Simpson?? anyone?]Lee: Is Amanda in?Dotty: Oh yes, she’s here. But she has a very bad cold and she’s sound asleep.Suddenly.. Amanda awakens!
Dotty wordlessly hands Amanda the phone..
I guess Lee guesses that’s what’s going on?!
Lee: Amanda?…(we don’t hear what she says)… You sound terrible. Oh, ah, look I was going to ask you if you could help me with this case but, ah –Amanda: Well, you know, I just have a little sore throat. I could probably come in if you want me to.[I wish I look this good when I’m sick with a cold!]Lee: No. No, no. Don’t be stupid. You rest!……I’ll – I’ll get Francine……Don’t worry about it……It’s not office work anyway. Just an overnighter, out of town –Amanda: Overnighter, out of town with Francine, huh?Amanda sounds tooooo chirpy about that!
I think.. Amanda sounds a little bit umm.. jealous??and..Lee’s reaction is wonderful..I think he kind of likes it! and.. it doesn’t scare him!! Lee: I know, I know. I feel the same way, Amanda,…[Check out Lee here: He looks really regretful that it’s not going to be Amanda with him on this overnighter! you think?
Also, so interesting that Lee reads between the lines here and guesses what Amanda is thinking – she isn’t happy about Lee being away on an overnight with Francine – and.. Lee says he feels the same way?! Such open communication here from our Lee!! It’s Amanda who is hinting and hedging.. Lee is speaking openly and honestly good work Lee!]… but hey it can’t be helped.Amanda: Hmmm,……well, where’re you going?Lee: Hey – ah – look you’re not going to miss anything. It’s just going to be a lot of work, believe me.Amanda flatly: Where’re you going Lee?[LOL she doesn’t believe him! It’s obvious to her Lee is just trying to make her feel better about it all ]Lee (cough): Well, where we’re going – ah……– is the Shenandoah Country Club….Lee looks sad..Amanda reacts and she looks sad.. They’re just too cute!… The Tennis Pro-Am….Lee kicks into super happy mode to convince Amanda she is missing nothing – lol!…Amanda believe me, you know you’re not going to miss anything. It’s going to be televised.[LOL yes if something is being televised it must be really boring! lol!!! Amanda’s missing nothing huh.. ha!
oh good! Amanda can stay in her sick bed, and still solve the crime via television tee hee.. I can see it now! Don’t tell me if this is true or not- lol ]Amanda: Well, you have a good time.[I think that’s code for: dang!! I wish I was coming!!!!]
KJ is too funny here..Amanda hangs up on Lee! without a goodbye!! lol!!Lee: Amanda?Lee looks down the telephone – haaa it always cracks me up how he does that!
Yep.. it’s not your fault she’s sick Lee.. but you might want to make it up to her anyway

The scene ends here.. okay everyone! What do you make of Lee and Amanda in this scene?
If this whole idea of Amanda being sick and not able to come is an improvisation to ensure they could keep filming without KJ- I’d say it raises situations we don’t usually get to see characters in otherwise.. I don’t think they’d intentionally write an episode which has very little Amanda in it – but it’s going to be an interesting insight into how things have changed for Lee, and how they deal with being separated. It’s already fascinating to see how both Lee and Amanda react to Amanda’s not being able to come! For me this phone conversation is a total smk goodie!!
And..seeing how they react to the idea of Lee and Francine alone on an overnighter?! wow!!! This is new territory!!
What plans did Lee have for this overnighter with Amanda?? And.. is this before or after FFFT and OBDOBD? I’ll see what happens.. and look forward to hearing what you all think.

So moving on and we head to the Shenandoah Tennis Ranch.Inside, we see Mr White Jacket Lee walking through the foyer as the loudspeaker announces exhibition matches or something..Hey this foyer looks a lot like the foyer of the Fox run hotel!?Lee joins Francine at a magazine rack.Francine: Oooh polyester. What a nice suit.Lee: It’s part of the cover, thank you….…Well, well, well, here comes Tina Thomerson.Fans approach Tina for an autograph.. but they are cut off..Donna Clayton: Excuse us please, Miss Thomerson is very busy.Oh they have definitely used the same location for the foyer of the Foxrun Hotel and the Shenandoh tennis ranch – same notice board even!same check in layout and trimmings.. lol..
this foyer is where Lee and Amanda met Francine after things went boom in FFFT!See that post HERE if you are interested..

This means PFK and FFFT were filmed together.. and we could make the assumption they were suppose to be shown one after the other in either order. Well this will be interesting to keep in mind..sooo was OBDOBD before these two episodes? or.. after these two episodes? I’ll ponder this one as we progress – sometimes I need to get beyond things and look back to be able to decide on things like this! [Don’t worry BJo I know episode order discussions make you dizzy 😉 ]

Back to Lee and Francine in the Foxrun err I mean Shenandoah foyer!Lee to Francine: All right, I’ll take the first shot here… (Lee’s serving first! )…The watchword is “improvisation”.[I think that’s code for ‘lack of preparation’ ]Francine: I just spotted her bodyguard – Donna Clayton – the redhead. Former military flyer, weapons expert, black belt…… Your type actually.[Interesting- but she’s not blond!
So… we have Lee on an overnighter alone with Francine.. and this woman, Donna- is gorgeous, his type, and someone he is going to need to charm to get close to Tina?
My goodness.. and no Amanda around.. just how will Scarecrow handle all this?
Who is Lee now???? Has his ‘type’ really changed? Plenty of opportunity here for Lee to revert to his old ways.. I think we are going to really find out a lot about Lee this episode! ]

Lee’s response to Francine? He gives a half hearted laugh. He knows better than to let Francine know he cares about something.. (her idea of what’s his type?)Lee looks over at Donna and Tina.. (to Francine): Well, you just watch this.

The competition/ needling vibe is alive and well between Lee and Francine.. Lee seems to be challenged here to prove himself – Amanda would never do this to Lee. I suspect that Lee is going to find having to deal with Francine as his partner enlightening.. I am guessing he might just realise that he’s really quite over this childish nonsense – and he’s moved on from it! At least, this is what I’m hoping will happen.. lol we’ll see.Polyester Lee makes his move and approaches Tina and Donna as Francine watches on..But I’m going to pause here before we get into seeing how Lee approaches them.

Lots to discuss in this post!!! I can’t wait to hear what you all think! so far.. this episode is really interesting to me!!! How about you? okay – bye for now!!!

65 responses to “2/13 Season Three, Episode 14: Playing for Keeps-Scarecrow and Mrs King”

Not sure where to put this comment, so I’ll make it a stand-alone. I don’t think I’ve ever really thought Amanda felt threatened by Francine going on this trip – or that she was being easily replaced. Maybe my opinion of Amanda is too high, but I would think that she knows Lee has a case, she is sick and can’t go, and he needs a partner. Does it have to be Francine? I guess not, but they’re not going to introduce another character on the show, Billy is the big boss, and he can’t do it alone – someone needs to be the back-up in case Lee gets burned. I know Amanda is confused about her feelings for Lee and what she wants and what she thinks is going on with him, but she has always been able to maintain professional focus, and I don’t see a bad cold or cold meds making her lose her focus. Plus I’ve always thought of Amanda as the mature one and her worrying about being replaced by Francine doesn’t feel Amanda-like. Francine is the one who acts immature when Amanda replaces her. Or maybe its insecure that I’m looking for?

I was applying the insecure word to Francine not Amanda here. I don’t see Amanda feeling insecure about being replaced by Francine. Part of me also thinks Amanda is showing more emotion than usual because Lee can’t see her. I think she is disappointed to be missing out on what could be a fun working weekend at a ritzy country club with Lee. Given their relationship now, it would be much more interesting to Amanda than when she went with Lee to the Cumberland.

Her hanging up on him? I think is just that she knows Lee will still be able to go and have a good time, but without her. Lee always has a good time. He likes to go to parties and chat up pretty ladies. I guess if I could see Amanda being insecure at all, it would be because of this – not because of Francine or thoughts of being easily replaced. Does that make sense? Are we saying the same thing here? I have a feeling I’m missing something in everyone else’s comments.

We may be saying the same thing. I don’t really think that Amanda would feel insecure about Francine, professionally or personally. But I do think she is feeling insecure. We don’t usually see Amanda behave that way, and anytime that we have it was in the past and directed at some of the clueless things that Scarecrow did, like being rude or insensitive, and he hasn’t done that in a while.
I think about Amanda and what she has experienced in her personal life with Joe leaving her and the boys for Africa and how it ended their marriage. We also know that it must have been a difficult thing for her to deal with because of the high regard she holds marriage in and because, personally, I don’t think she had processes it well in terms of how she was describing the situation in TWWH. I think it took her some time to rebuild her sense of self after all that, and she has done that now, but I think she has done that mostly through her professional life, this huge step she took into a career in espionage and she should be feeling pretty good about that. But now here is a real change occurring in her personal life because this amazing man (a long time bachelor, world class spy etc) is beginning to show an interest in her. And it also affects her professional life because he is her partner and trainer. Someone left once before, what would happen to her world if she tried and failed? Would anyone stay? Another man who has chosen a dangerous job? How would all this affect her? her family? And I think she is the kind of woman who wants to be in the thick of things, she feels better if she can do something. So now not only is she not able to be with Lee , doing her job. She has to be home on the couch, not with this man while this other woman accompanies him. And this woman is a bit of a sticky pint for Amanda, even if she isn’t really jealous of her. All through their acquaintance there has been a tug of war over their sense of identity as a woman and what is really important, I think back to the conversation between Amanda and Francine at their first meeting, that competition and seeking for approval was there for both of them. I think it is just that tug of war that is being felt and now more than ever somehow Lee is there as the fulcrum.
I don’t know if any of that makes any sense. I’ll keep working on it. 😉

What is she feeling insecure about? … I’ve already explored that a little in my comments in reply to Valerie on this post.. so I won’t repeat repeat repeat.. oh drat I repeated 😉 but I’ve explore this fully in the final post of this ep – because I felt I needed to watch this interaction between Lee and Amanda play out before I could come up with an idea of what’s going on for Amanda more deeply.. I agree that work/romance is intermingled for these two though not the same thing either – but.. I’ll explore this fully after the final post..

I can say that in general- I think WWH and the hurts of the past are processed, done and dusted for Amanda by the end of WWH.
I see Amanda as healed from past hurts and disappointments.
I also see Amanda as cautious about pursuing a future with Lee -She is watching and waiting to see if the changes in Lee are real and something she can trust in…this is wise. And when it comes to relationships, Amanda is quite sage, and patient..
But heck this is just how I see the character others may view Amanda differently 🙂 It’s fun to explore!! bye!

Well, I am not sure where you are headed at the end of this episode and I am looking forward to finding out. I am also not exactly sure where I will end up. So its all good, because I love the journey. But the only thought that I have at this moment (and I am pretty tired so this may not make any sense) is one about the doneness of the healing at the end of WWH I agree there was closure for her about Joe. But in my experience, when a person has suffered a deep wound they can still struggle.Like I said there was closure and healing, but what I have noticed is that when a person embarks on a new season of life that reengages them in the area that contained the old hurt, they can falter a bit. Maybe it is fear based on old expectations of hurt due to their past experience? They may feel a surge of that old insecurity as they step out again. I could see Amanda experiencing hat a bit here.

Hmmm. I think if Amanda has been healed, she is incredibly emotionally superb. Then again, I do see Amanda as some sort of emotional Superwoman, so it is not out of the realm of possibility for her. On the flip side, I think the wounds we have at the hands of our loved ones or from relationships with loved ones are the ones that cut the deepest and take the longest to get over or move on from. I’m not so sure that I can understand how Amanda could be done so quickly after TWWH. Maybe Joe coming back, seeing him face to face, helped her to close the door, but the emotional scars on the inside could still affect her? I’m just thinking out loud here – I find this idea interesting. Not sure what I really think about it.

I’m thinking of an episode in the future that sort of summarizes her feelings toward Joe, which come directly from her own words. I know that can’t be discussed here. You probably know which one I’m thinking of. Maybe events that take place between now and then factor in too. Anyhow, I think you summarized it well, BJo. She’s got scars, yes, but I get the impression they’re under control and she’s letting time heal the rest. She still appears to be in contact with him even when we don’t see it. The boys visit him and I’m sure they exchange the usual communication. I used to be in awe of Joe and Amanda back in the day. My parents were divorced too, but they didn’t communicate or get along quite this well.

I agree with Morley and BJo and will run with the healing metaphor. Amanda may have appeared to heal from past hurts but there is still a scar. And a scar is not the same as unscarred tissue – it’s never quite the same again. So she’s (hopefully) learnt more about herself and relationships from that ‘hurt’ but she’s also vulnerable, but the moment something about Lee or their relationship reminds her of Joe and their relationship, she’s going to feel vulnerable, maybe a bit insecure and want to climb inside herself again.

Hi all! I’ve had visitors staying.. so been offline.. hey I can get on board with this learjet – that’s fair enough- anyone about to embark on a relationship is vulnerable.
This is one of Francine’s struggles – but I don’t see it as one of Amanda’s struggle.
but… I reserve the right to change my mind though based on upcoming episodes! 🙂

I’ve always found SMK to be a bit light on when it came to Amanda and her resolving of her own past relationship issues with Joe.. the focus is much more on Lee and his issues…
But overall, Amanda seems to have super human capacity to forgive, and to move on.. is it realistic? I don’t think so! but it’s what I see the show portraying..

I also struggle to see Amanda’s relationship with Lee reminding her of her relationship with Joe. She was a very different person when she was with Joe. She’s grown a lot since then as an individual- she was barely an adult when she married Joe..
Amanda could see this is a very different relationship.. so while I agree she is vulnerable and she is being wise watching and waiting to see if she can trust Lee.
Amanda wants to look forward, and not go back.[remember her saying this in the tag of WWH?] So far, I see no indication this wasn’t what she was able to do..
Maybe there’s something ahead I don’t know about that will tell me more about Amanda’s inner world.. (don’t tell!)

At this point in the story, I’m seeing Amanda as wise, patient and brave, I don’t see Amanda as contemplating backing away from this relationship – she cautiously progresses and tackles these things head on- she’s emotionally and relationally well balanced. Nuff babbling on from me already.. on to the next post?! 🙂

I agree Bjo! I see her the same way.. and I agree it’s superhuman.. 🙂
I’d say many are thinking the emotional scars still affect her.
but I’m not really seeing it that way at the moment.. in this regard, I think Amanda is portrayed simplistically.. her struggles are more about her identity, and pursuing her work as a woman with children.. not realistic -and I didn’t think WWH was realistic either.. but.. it’s what I saw in what we got.. so I’m going with it for now 🙂

I know what I am doing… more mental gymnastics. I get so used to my own flips I forget that I am doing it. I guess I don’t see Amanda’s emotional health as superhuman. I agree the show sometimes portrays her that way and I think it misses the mark, because at other times she isn’t and the two don’t jive. So instead I guess I have taken her off of that pedestal and made her just human (or more like me). So I take liberties and interpret her little actions (like her reactions during that first phone call) as little clues to some turbulence inside of her (because that is what would be happening with me). Maybe I need to clue into the fact that I am doing some brain tumbles when I make certain comments?

I am looking forward to the greater reveal of what Iwsod thinks is going on with Amanda here 😉

Your mental gymnastics sound good. I love this show to pieces since 1983 and wish I could watch it all. I re-watched about a third of them 2 years ago (jumping around season to season). I finally sat down and watched this one on Sunday (break from the thesis, which is a constant brain strain). I’m still feeling klutzy in my comments compared to everyone else here.

After reading everyone’s comments on this conversation, I also had a random thought about Dean (season 1, episode 1). She was divorced for a year and was dating Dean at some point. Seems like Dottie sort of nudged that one along. Probably suggested she start dating again. Amanda agreed. Maybe she felt ready, but we’ll never know. No strong chemistry between her and Dean, which makes sense if she really wasn’t ready. My point is, that she may have felt pressure to push her emotions aside for Dean’s sake because she didn’t want to approach a new dating relationship that way. Then along comes Lee. Complicated in many ways, (but worth the effort.) Amanda’s probably tucking half of her emotions away and WWH might be the best chance she’s had to try and find closure. She’s definitely human. I think she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for too. I know I need to watch WWH again. I think I skipped it when I was marathoning random SMK episodes 2 years ago.

I agree with you, iwsod, Amanda is portrayed simplistically and at times unrealistically. I guess I’m actually trying to think more deeply than I usually do with these guys and, like Morley, projecting myself onto Amanda (and I am not like Amanda, so that is a faulty hypothesis to some degree). She does appear to have gotten up and dusted herself off and moved on with her eyes only facing forward.

I guess I also project myself onto Amanda. We all tend to try harder to relate to Amanda than Francine. Which is why it’s surprising how much easier it is to understand Francine when I try to put myself in her shoes. Her responses to people and activities around her (notably Lee and Amanda) may not always be pretty, but they are understandable and relatable. More so than what we sometimes are shown of Amanda.

I’m going to jump in here, somewhere in the middle of all this to throw in my two cents about where I think Amanda is. Part of my opinion is based on what I saw my own parents go through which I think I discussed back during WWH. After their divorce they remained good friends, were both at family functions, and my mother became friends with my stepmother when my father remarried. At the heart of their marriage and divorce was their friendship.

While Amanda’s divorce obviously affected her she was eventually able to move on and start dating. She was with Dean long enough for him to have become a part of the boys’ and Dotty’s lives and Amanda even went on at least one vacation with him. In the beginning of the series she was fairly protective of her relationship with Dean and not wanting to give the wrong impression. While she wasn’t ready for a re-marriage, I think it was because she knew that Dean just wasn’t the right one for her. She then went out with “Art Garfunkel” and seemed quite taken with Alan Chamberlain. She has seemed willing to put herself out there, but not necessarily willing to commit yet.

I’m sure that she had to have wondered what would happen if Joe did come back into their lives. However, she had changed so much by the time he did return that she was able to let go of any hesitation she may have had about where things were. There was a certain confidence in the way she let Joe know that she wanted to move forward.

Amanda seemed to have an immediate reaction and connection to Lee. They eventually connected as partners, developed a strong friendship and are moving at this point towards something deeper and more lasting. I think that Joe and Amanda were and are certainly friends, but she has a deeper relationship with Lee on a personal and professional level. She was able to blossom during her time with Lee, while she may have felt held back by Joe.

I mentioned that I thought Amanda was teetering on the edge. I think back to FFFT when Lee asked if it mattered what the business was and she immediately said no. There was no hesitancy in her response. I think that Amanda, like Lee has been slowly dropping her firewalls of emotional protectiveness, it’s just been in a more subtle way. I think that she has put her past in the past. I also think that she is still working on reading what Lee is trying to tell her. He’s hinted around and made comments and suggestions, but he hasn’t been overt in his intentions and I think Amanda is still waiting for a more overt declaration on his part.

Insecure sounds right. I think Amanda doesn’t trust Francine and why should she? If this episode happened after FFFT (yes, Iwsod, I’m still pondering the order), I don’t think the freezer changed the situation by much. Also, I keep thinking about JEG episode and that “Francine Desmond file.” Really would love to see what started that whole discussion and why Francine handed over that picture of Lee. Was it to insert more questions about Lee’s past in Amanda’s mind? More doubt to prevent them from getting close? We know Amanda enjoyed teasing Lee about it, but I wonder how it left her feeling in general. I know I need to go back and read that Walk discussion, which I haven’t done yet and you all might have already considered this.

However, she should trust Lee. What’s making her show these insecurities or any insecurities at this point? Her feelings, yes, but maybe it’s a little more about the lack of trust in Francine.

Great link, Sara. Given what I’m thinking here in PFK, I bet Francine was trying to make Amanda question her view of Lee with that picture in JEG. Especially given Amanda’s narky comment to Francine about the gin mills at the beginning of the episode. I think she was trying to stir things up or maybe trying to show Amanda her own view of Lee, which in her mind is who the “true” Lee is. Thinking off the top of my head, I don’t wonder if Francine didn’t start to wonder about Lee/Amanda’s relationship for real at the beginning of S3. LOTP and VM are eye openers, especially LOTP, and I bet Francine finds out that Lee took Amanda to that festival at the Kennedy Center. Heck, maybe she was even there and saw them together. I can imagine Amanda looking very beautiful in her gown and Francine being jarred the by the sight of the two of them together.

So how does Lee not know Amanda is sick? This isn’t Monday morning, is it? I guess Amanda hasn’t been in the office for a while or they haven’t needed her?

Yes, I think Lee is rather disappointed that Amanda cannot go on this trip with him. I think he is looking for any chance he can get to spend time with her, to get to know her better and develop their relationship. And it’s so sweet how Lee tried to downplay where he’s going.

Yup, Iwsod, total SMK goodie. I love that Lee is disappointed and I think because he’s on the phone and Amanda can’t see him, we get to see that disappointment – his face and body language convey it – he doesn’t have to worry about hiding anything because no one is watching him – except us lol. And, boy, are we watching! Same thing with Amanda too. I do think if that if either of them were able to really hear what the other was saying, I do think they could have picked up on the level of each other’s disappointment. I’m thinking they may have been so caught up in their own emotion about not being able to go on this trip together (forget about the working part of it) that they may not have noticed the depth in each other’s disappointment. It’s personal, not work-related – for the most part, I think, anyway.

I don’t think Amanda was worried about Lee and Francine playing backgammon or anything, but I do think was professionally jealous of Francine.

As far as order WRT FFFT or the OBDs, I’ll leave that up to folks who are far more qualified to answer.  hahaha – I just read your nod to me on that subject! Thank you for excusing me from them! But I do wonder, maybe they filmed part of PFK with Amanda in it – since she was in all of FFFT – and had to go back and rework the episode.

“Interesting – but she’s not blond!” Yeah, but Lee’s type is brunette! You know, I don’t remember watching this episode for the first time, but I don’t ever recall being worried about Lee using bedroom antics to do his job. Nor do I recall worrying about him hooking up with Francie. Maybe I was just too naïve back then? Waaay back then.

Lee’s type is brunettes?
Yes.. but Francine doesn’t know that.. I would guess Francine would have seen Lee with a lot of blondes (herself included).. but anyway – great to have you back BJo!

I too don’t see Amanda as being threatened by Francine. She’s always been able to overlook her nark. But I’ll have more to say on that later in the ep..
Whatever is going on here is not about Francine (IMHO)..
Agreed.. the Lee/Francine hook up/romance ship has well and truly sailed off and sunken in the ocean depths.. never to be found again!
But they do share a history and connection.. I think early season 3 well and truly killed off any questions I may have had in that area..

Loving all these comments and wish I had the time and patience to respond to some individually, which I may do at a later time. I do like this conversation between Lee and Amanda, although I don’t like his use of the word ‘stupid’ when he says, “Don’t be stupid.” It irks me a bit. I do enjoy seeing how far Lee has come when he was so adverse to working with Amanda to now being able to commiserate with the fact that they can’t work together.

Is this the first time that Amanda hasn’t been able to be available to work with Lee? It’s always been the two of them and this will definitely be a challenge for them both. I agree that Amanda feels bad that she isn’t available. In FFFT she told Lee it didn’t matter what the business was, she was up for working with him on whatever it was.

I don’t see Amanda as being jealous of Francine in a romantic sense. But I’m wondering if she is concerned that Francine will use this time to further her own agenda by possibly downplaying Amanda’s abilities and skills to Lee. Or that Francine will try to ingratiate herself into working more with Lee. She already says negative things to and about Amanda in front of Lee and now she will have Lee all to herself.

Amanda is teetering on that edge . If this comes after FFFT Francine had just told Amanda not to always expect Lee to come and rescue her. We wondered about Amanda’s look once she was out of the freezer. Maybe Amanda is remembering that freezer discussion here and feeling some uncertainty.

Hey Valerie so wonderful to see you stop by! All the best with the downsizing!!

I know the feeling.. when there is so much to catch up on it can feel a little overwhelming.. try not to let it stress you- we want your time here to be enjoyable 🙂 I tend to go for the like button in moments like that 😉 tee hee.. You can always come back to this episode when life slows down a bit 🙂

Miss ya! but.. life’s like this sometimes 🙂 just be sure to stop by when you can- and when it’s FUN!!!! 🙂

loved your comments about Amanda teetering on the edge.. I’ve got some stuff to say about this coming up.. and the FFFT freezer.. but it’s too early to go there.. lol..

Hi Everyone!
I’ve enjoyed reading your thoughts- especially on what’s going on with Amanda here.. I hadn’t settled on a narrative here for Amanda when I wrote the post..I think I’ve formed one now though thanks to reading your thoughts…

I agree with Sara that Amanda is still not 100% sure of Lee – she’s tentative..[Sara loved your comment that if it weren’t so close-Amanda would have already seen it’s love 🙂 ] I’m not sure this is about their romance especially though..

I also agree with Kiwismh’s comment that this ep will be a test of character…. I love that!

Raffie I think your comment was really interesting and totally got me thinking! We are close in our thinking.. so lol you are not alone in your boat.. – I’m not thinking Amanda is jealous about any worries about Lee and Francine either. 🙂
I don’t think that’s what’s going on here for Amanda at all. Though I’ll need to hold off explaining fully why till later in the ep.

Amanda is unhappy before she finds out where Lee and Francine are staying – so I don’ t think she’s really upset about that, this knowledge is just the icing on the cake for her!

I think Lee calls Amanda asking for help.
Lee says: Oh, ah, look I was going to ask you if you could help me with this case but, ah –
What’s Amanda’s reaction?
Amanda: Well, you know, I just have a little sore throat. I could probably come in if you want me to.
Amanda doesn’t ask what the case is, or where it is. She knows Lee called to ask for her help.. and.. “If you want me to” – is the big clue here IMHO.. it’s a question she is asking of Lee.. but he misses it..more on that from me later though..
In general, Amanda IMHO really doesn’t like to let people down. Any other time Lee has asked for her help she has jumped at it (okay unless her family are in some way involved).
I think this is the first time Amanda has not been able to help – but she doesn’t have her family to back this refusal up.. Amanda is not comfortable with saying no to look after herself because she doesn’t want to let Lee down.
Lee is her work partner and she hates not being able to be there to help him.
Lee however knows this is not a job she can do while sick.. it’s not organising receipts!
So Lee, trying to make her feel better reassures her it’s not a big deal: he can get Francine.
To Lee – this is him reassuring her and encouraging her to look after herself, he’ll be okay.
To Amanda – I think this is awful!!! He can replace me so easily huh????!!!!! and.. with Francine???!!!!
To me- it’s evident this raises issues for Amanda.. but why or what she needs and isn’t getting? I don’t think is obvious here.. this story is yet to unfold.. but from her reaction it seemed she was uncomfortable not being able to help Lee, upset with being replaced.. and then.. When Amanda tries to rise above this and ask Lee about where he is staying – in Amanda’s view, Lee goes and treats her like a 3 year old..
As Raffie brilliantly said- Amanda sees Lee as treating her like a child here . This really ticks her off.
We can see it comes from Lee caring about her. But Amanda is a little blinded by all these strong emotions she is suddenly feeling here – not to mention how she is sick, so she is not thinking clearly, has low energy etc. As Morley brilliantly said- Amanda is vulnerable here..
Then.. to finish it all off – it’s a fabulous location and a tennis pro-am.. grrrrr.. yep.. this is to Amanda the day from hell. That’s when Amanda’s smile gets bigger and bigger!! lol…
Amanda’s issues are bubbling up to the surface here.. and poor Lee is being so open and lovely with her.. but…
Let me just say – Lee hasn’t yet figured out what Amanda needs here..
And I’ll pause this thought for now.. and enjoy watching this little subplot unfold.
Feel free to disagree.. but this is just my take on things so far- bye!!

This idea really struck a chord with me, that Amanda is feeling slighted because Lee can “replace” her so easily. That’s an insecurity I’ve struggled with, as well. The really complicated thing is that there’s no right answer — if Lee can’t do it with someone else, Amanda would feel awful not being able to help better. If he can get someone else, she feels replaced, and not like she and Lee have something special at all. And this works entirely from a non-romantic set of emotions, just friendship and closeness and feeling like you’re special to a person. Add the romance into the picture, and it’s no wonder that poor Amanda probably can’t even figure out herself why she feels the way she does.

Well… I think Amanda knows this is about “the job” on some level. He did call her up, not knowing she had the cold, which made her his first choice. Plus he didn’t sound that happy to be working with Francine. But as I said elsewhere, Amanda’s not seeing it because she’s too involved. I know you mentioned friendship and partnership, but her ‘feelings’ in general are a little fuzzy for her right now. He tries to convince her she’s special to him, i.e., “I know…” (plus him neglecting to admit the venue) really suggests the feelings are mutual. That’s not typical ‘Lee’ behavior. Even the partnership/friendship/closeness applies here, but it goes unnoticed. So basically, I agree with you, but I think the basis for her reasoning are these new emotions. I may need to go back to previous seasons to see how she responded in those cases. She did seem to want his respect.

I am not sure if Amanda can separate any of her feelings concerning Lee anymore. She has worked hard to do that all along, but i think until she looks honestly at the reality of the depth of the connection between them and calls it what it is and lets surrenders to it she is lost. I think that Lee is ahead of her with acknowledging the truth of their relationship but she is where he was back at the beginning part of season three and it is affecting every part of her ability to relate to him. Being suck on the couch has only got to compound matters for her.

Whew, so glad they didn’t use that script! I agree it’s cutesy and flirty but as others have already stated, way too soon. Too fast!

I’m feeling I might be alone in this boat, but I’m really not feeling Amanda being jealous about any worries about Lee and Francine. I think Amanda is simply jealous that Francine gets to work with Lee in such an enjoyable environment. After all, Amanda’s latest assignments with Lee have involved a 2-bit hotel in FFFThought, escorting not-Shamba around DC, and getting held in a warehouse in Alexandria. Now here she would have had an opportunity to spend time with Lee at a tennis resort, and she has to miss it because she’s sick.

And making it even worse, Francine gets to go in her place. And no doubt Amanda figures that Francine will gleefully look for an opportunity to rub it in, probably multiple times! (I just watched ROTPast and am reminded of Francine’s false sympathy over Amanda’s “dashed career”.)

And on top of it all, Lee is treating her like a child by obviously trying to hide the truth from her because he knows she won’t like hearing it! (I don’t really think Lee was treating Amanda like a child — he was just trying to be sensitive [and perhaps not trigger a temper tantrum like we saw in OTLimit!] — but I do think Amanda saw it that way.) Poor Lee had to feel like he was navigating a mine field!

But isn’t it nice how they both admit they would really have liked the opportunity to spend the time with each other? When Lee says, “I know”, I always felt he meant that he understood her overall disappointment. She didn’t need to spell out the above because he already knew how she felt, right down to the Francine thing.

Wow – you read my mind and said it much better than I could. And how many weeks after this case wraps up do you think Francine will be gleefully rubbing it in to Amanda that she and Lee got to hobnob with all the tennis pros at Shanodoah while poor Amanda was home with a cold.

Sounds good to me! Have you read the walk through fast food for thought (FFFT) yet Sara?
If I’m remembering correctly, there was discussion about this very thing in that ep – which is seeming to me to be closely linked to this ep..
I’m thinking I’m going to go read that again-my memory isn’t as good as I wish!
I’m grappling with putting these two eps together.
gotta run! I’m away on a training course at the moment..
bye all 🙂

I read through at least the first three discussion pages for that episode, which were great and I plan to finish it later. One of them had me laughing so hard, my neighbors must think I’m crazy (Amanda’s evil-eyed look in the kitchen). You’ve got me curious about this discussion, so I’ll definitely go back to it. Thanks, Iwsod! Have fun with the training course! 🙂

Just had a thought as to why this episode could come after FFFT. Suppose in this scene they’re both thinking back to that moment at the motel and the fact that this time (if it had been Lee/Amanda and not Lee/Francine) they wouldn’t be interrupted. That could explain Lee’s “I know…I know… I feel the same way, Amanda.” It’s not just the opportunity to work together it’s the opportunity for whatever was ‘supposed to happen’ in FFFT. 😉

Ok, so I need to quickly mention an episode order comment because it helps me to understand these scenes. I think this one takes place right after FFFT. Amanda has a cold because of her time in the freezer and the increased open communication in Lee may have something to do with that prescription for the chills that she had for her,” dinner, time, and a special bottle of wine.” I think he knows pretty much what he is about with Amanda and is taking it slow. I think Amanda enjoyed her evening with Lee but she still isn’t completely sure of him. I think that is why she is reacting like that here when he mentions taking Francine. Her response kind of mirrors the one in the hallway in FFFT. Is he being genuine with her, or is he playing his old game? And if it is the old game what would keep him from playing it with any other woman if the opportunity presented itself. I think she is jealous and not sure what to expect out of Lee while he is away alone with another woman. She wants to trust him, but she isn’t totally convinced that Lee won’t be the old Lee.

Lee must call often because Dotty does recognize his voice. Maybe he calls her on business, why he uses Simpson I have no clue. Maybe he wants to keep her from being able to look him up for personal and spy business reasons.

One last thing, I am having lots of fun thinking about the implications of the title of this episode…

I do think she is feeling jealousy but not letting herself admit that right now. Time to reflect while Lee is away might bring her to that realisation. Her “happiness” here is more of an attempt to be mature and tamp down her wayward feelings about the situation. Ultimately she can’t maintain the pretence and her “Well you have a good time” and hanging up on Lee tell me that she is more than a little bothered not by just her own feelings but by what she fears might happen to Lee left to his own devices with Ms Francine to happily lead him astray. This episode will be a test of character for both Lee and Amanda.

Hi – the original script is on smk-land.com. If this is too early, please hold the text but I figured it doesn’t matter since it is such a departure from the show as aired. I edited this a bit for formatting but all the dialogue is there.

Lee walks up to Amanda as she hangs up the phone.
Lee: Feel like tripping the light fantastic?
Amanda: That would be nice…you know what they say, ‘All work and no play…’
They start to dance.
Lee: I gotta tell you, Amanda…you’re really getting good at this.
Amanda: Wel1…you’ve done a great job of training me. And we’ve been on how many cases together?
Lee: I don’t mean the job…I mean this.
Script says they are cuddling
Amanda: Oh…this. Well that’s because we work so well together.
They dance, even closer.
Lee: We’ve only just started to find out the things we do well together.
Amanda: Lee…maybe we ought to — . (sees Donna and stops)
LEE: What?…We ought to what?
Donna joins them, breaking the mood.

Then at the very end of the tag:
Lee to Amanda: Don’t worry about Tina. She can handle herself. Besides, you and I have some unfinished business to take care of.
We hear the cocktail orchestra strike up o.s.
Amanda: Such as …
Lee: Weren’t we in the middle of discovering all the things we could do well together when were so rudely interrupted?
Amanda: So we were…
They link arms around each other and walk toward the music.

Thanks Gail!
Yes from smk-land is fine..
Huge shout out to Petra for hosting smk-land for all of us SMK fans to drawn on as a resource!

Gail (or anyone else) -If you would like to contribute to smk fandom- I know Petra is looking for volunteers to transcribe episodes.. no obligation, but if you are interested see this post for more info.
Petra knows this project is a long slow process – and doesn’t mind how long you take 🙂

Sooo getting back to this script snippet Gail has shared with us:
Oh…. My… gosh!!!!

We could have seen them dancing again??!!! Dang.. the same thing happened in the script of ship of spies.. dancing scripted.. but then cut- boooooo!!

I think that dialogue in the script is very out of character for this point in the series. Maybe season 4, but not now, I can’t even see that leap if KJ’s father hadn’t passed away. They would have had to rewrite it even if she had been available to film this episode. Maybe they could have thrown some dancing in, that would have been nice to see, but I don’t think their dialogue would have sounded like that.

I agree. I think the dialogue is sweet but it would have been rewritten. I’ve looked through a bunch of the posted scripts and there are lots of examples of the scripts getting rewritten to tone down the Amanda/Lee dialogue. Still it is very flirty and cute.

I’m actually surprised by the real telephone dialogue when Lee says “I know” in response to her disappointment about them not being together – it is a bit open considering that they (in my recollection) had an open conversation admitting how they felt about each other. It implies that they have discussed the issues referenced in this call before.

Yep… BB and KJ can’t help the chemistry they have, regardless of stage directions (i.e., “toning it down”). What you said about Lee’s “I know” makes me want to look back and try to figure out when they might have had such a conversation. I’m leaning toward UN as a tipping point (especially her, “Not exactly” reply to Lee at the end.), although that episode’s on my mind anyway.

I don’t know if I think they have discussed it actually. I do think that Lee knows though and he is ready to be open. There is a lot in SMK about the need to know. It will be interesting to hear how they use that word. But often Lee says “I know, I know” to Amanda. Its there in the tag of UN when she says, “Lee, about last night” and his response is “I know”. Or when she confesses that she is scared he often says I know. Here, in this phone conversation, I think Lee is trying to communicate that he does know her and the way they feel about being together. But I don’t think that she quite understands him fully because of how she responds. At least at this point in this episode she doesn’t understand what he is trying to communicate and that leads me to believe that they haven’t had an open conversation yet. Just my $0.02 😉

Yeah, I forgot about his “I know” response. Although I do find Amanda’s cheerfulness in the beginning interesting when Lee says he’s going on an “overnighter with Francine.” She’s anticipating his excuse for why this is going to be complete misery for both of them. He doesn’t bother to say where he and Francine are going until Amanda presses him about it (twice). So Amanda might have an idea about his feelings but the venue draws out her insecurities. I’m also wondering if she’s thinking more about the missed opportunity with Lee, than of Lee and Francine together. Maybe I’m being optimistic for Amanda?

I haven’t watched this episode in a while so I am looking forward to looking for the nuances. I am paying close attention though because I am about to start working on FFFT (in my order that is the episode right before this one) and unlike Iwsod, it helps for me to know a bit of what is going to happen next. So I may watch this opening phone call before I start writing the stories for FFFT.

But in thinking about Amanda, I don’t really think she is the jealous type, especially about Francine. But I wonder if because she may be so close to actually letting herself fall for Lee, she may be feeling more sensitive about this. Again, I can’t help put interpret Amanda through my own self and if I was in a situation like hers I think I would act overly happy just o make sure I didn’t come across as emotionally vulnerable. I would probably not be able to be forth coming about disappointment until I had that “talk” with the person I was falling for and whom I hoped was falling for me. I guess I view her “cheeriness” as self protection because her emotions are right there on the surface. I think Lee knows this however and here, once again, is another opportunity for him to show her how special she really is to him. Maybe???

We all see things differently because we are all different and I love it that we can discuss it in all it’s minute detail here. It always helps me to get a better understanding of the characters. Plus it is a fun way to spend the last Sunday afternoon of my summer vacation. 🙂

It is a great Sunday afternoon, right? I could be doing other things, but this is fun. I have more fun speculating. Minute details are the best part.

The fact that Lee hasn’t been in many serious relationships (as far as we know) and is obviously worried about what she’ll think, does say a lot about his feelings for her. But Amanda misses that. Or maybe it doesn’t hit her immediately. She could use what she knows of Lee and of other people to realize he’s falling just as hard for her. If it were anyone else, if she were witnessing another two people behave the way they do, she’d figure out the two were in love. But not her and not Lee. She’s too close to see it.

Well put Sara, “too close to see it.” That rings true to me. And welcome! So many lovely new folks joining JWWM to stroll through SMKland 🙂 *runs down the rabbit hole cheering and eating her chocolate bar- join me, I share! *

I agree. At the least, I’d have put this script scene right at the end of S3. I’d have felt cheated if we had seen this at this stage. I love the way they’ve done it in the actual episode – Lee is a little bit ahead of Amanda still, starting to be more open about his feelings. Amanda is still protecting herself (and playing Lee 😀 )

Good looking as he naturally is, I don’t think white Polyester suited Lee is in with much of a chance attracting any high class female companionship here. The slicked back hair and awful tie aren’t helping either. If it weren’t a cover for the case, he’d be booked immediately for multiple fashion felonies.
Buttoned-up beige-blousey Francine is in no position to be throwing fashion bricks either! Move along blondie or I’ll book ya! 😎
This exchange between Lee and Amanda and the relationship/sexual tension it reveals is pure SMK gold. Thank goodness KJ got sick! I have a feeling this episode as filmed is going to be a lot better than what was written I the original script. The writers probably cursed her illness but hopefully they came to realise that what must have been a last minute re-write was actually a blessing in disguise in terms of keeping the audience hooked on the relationship tension.

That’s what people wore back in the 80s. I won’t say what they’re called until we get to that episode. 😉 😉 I remember those blouses like Francine has and I’m pretty sure I wore it back then but I didn’t love them. It still looked like something my mom or grandmother would wear. Lee looks great in a lot of colors, but white suits don’t work on him. I love that black tux though..

I know – I wore blouses like that in the 1980’s, and I wore my share of polyester too. But it’s fun to lampoon the worst of 80’s fashion now. I have fond memories of the pencil skirts and very tailored shoulder-padded jackets I used to wear to work in the 80’s. I felt very 1940’s Lauren Bacall…. unfortunately without her stunning figure and looks.

First part is just chocked full of adorable. Amanda’s too darned cute. That sickly voice, huddled on the couch with blankets and she looks flawless. Wonder if she’s hearing his voice and thinking back to that swamp moment in Utopia Now, 3×07? (side note, I’m soooo bummed I joined too late to chat about that episode–one of my favorites!) I’ll bet he’d keep her toasty warm now. 😉 Then there’s Lee trying his best to downplay what sounds like an anything-but-boring case for Amanda’s sake. That opener makes me smile. I’ll come back with more thoughts.

Awhhh don’t worry Sara, go back and walk through Utopia now and share your thoughts with us as you do – heck who would mind if we were reminded of all the goodness in that episode and darn made to discuss that swoony moment in the swamp??!!! teeee.. heeee.. toasty alright! 🙂

Oh, I agree. I got such a kick out of Iwsod’s comment recently about SOS. It would be fun to walk through UN again, especially now as we stroll through this Amanda light episode. Might even help us get a better perspective. In fact, Sara, I think you should open UN for us all again! Great idea!

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